Saturday, 6 May 2017

MY MAY DAY MANIFESTO

The May Day Manifesto

“In
the summer of 1966, a group of socialists met to discuss the possibility
of a political intervention. They had no official positions in politics; they
were mainly teachers, writers and research workers, the majority from the universities.
Nor did they belong to any constituted group, though again a majority of them
had been associated, at different times over the previous ten years, with what
is usually described as the New Left.

As a
result of the meeting, it was decided to publish a manifesto, which was at that
stage conceived as a bringing together of existing socialist positions and
analysis, as a counter-statement to the Labour government’s policies and
explanations. Three editors were appointed: Edward Thompson, who had been one
of the founders of the New Reasoner; Stuart Hall, one of the founders of
Universities and Left Review; and myself.”

An
extract from the “May Day Manifesto,” written by Raymond Williams and published
by Penguin.

The
manifesto discussed poverty, inequality in society, the economy, British
manufacturing and the balance of payments problems. These issues are applicable
today. Its main aim was to show how capitalism created oppression. The
manifesto insisted on a socialist framework to solve these problems.

A junior school

I know
something about education having been a teacher in the state system for nearly
fourty years. Education has become test based and exam based. Everything
has to be measured and assessed all the time, creating an education culture
that has been narrowed to exam techniques. It is political and education is
being starved of money. New teachers are being put off continuing and making a
career in teaching.

I want
education to be creative, imaginative and appealing to pupils, enabling them to
become enthusiastic and joyous in their learning and to not be afraid to fail
and not have to meet targets at frequent, given times. I want them to explore,
as individuals, every aspect of what it means to be alive and to discover the
world around them. The only maxim a teacher should have is, “Do whatever it
takes,” to develop a child and their learning. I can envisage a system that does not need exams at all. A child with
certain abilities should be helped to go in the direction of a particular type
of work or higher education that has become obvious they are suited to
throughout their school life.Politicians
and governments have talked about a fair society, an equal society for what
seems like generations. The only way to do that is to truly and fully support
the comprehensive system. There should be no other system.Grammar schools should be abolished.
The private sector should be abandoned. There should not be schools such as
Eton, Harrow and Winchester. We might then be able to achieve a fair and equal
society.

I stay awake
at night worrying about the, The National Health Service.It worries me
intensely that the National Health Service is faltering and near the brink of
collapse. Efficiencies, streamlining, new technologies can only go as far as
the constraints of the present day. New technologies and medical procedures in
the future will change the NHS further. What can be achieved now should be
financed properly. Taxation is not a dirty word.

Housing built
using renewable energy technology.

I also worry daily about the problems my own
children have concerning housing, absolutely necessary for their
development into adulthood and their happy and fruitful futures. There is an
imbalance being created. The world is out of kilter for them.Housing has become a joke. Council houses
have been sold off. Lower paid workers have to rely on poor standard housing
agency properties, if they are able to get them at all. The price of housing in
this country has become so inflated that people in nationally vital
occupations, such as nursing, teaching, the police, cannot live anywhere near
where they work in the cities. I want to see councils allowed to build council
housing again. I want the building trade to use new technologies to build truly
affordable, well designed efficient, modern housing using locally sourced
building materials, some of it recycled. It is possible. Private building
companies are for profit only organisations.They are making the situation
impossible for the majority on average and low wages. The government should be
financing new housing projects through cheap government loans and through the
banking sector. New innovative ways of building should be introduced. I can’t
see why housing can’t be designed that includes an element of self-build, and
certainly incorporating renewable energy sources. There are plenty of local
building firms to provide the expertise and machine power for the more
technical and heavy loading part of house building. I have just worked something out. My family and I live in South Wimbledon. We moved into our house 23 years ago. The cost of the house was 3 times my wife and my combined wages. We were mid career teachers and we had three children with a fourth on the way. We could put down a sizable deposit because we were moving from a smaller house and made a profit on selling it. It took us twenty years to pay off the mortgage. A mid career teacher now does not earn much more than we did then. The value of our house is now 15 times the combined income of two mid career teachers. What the .... (expletive deleted). Who has got a chance in hell now? We do know how to work this out.

2 comments:

Tony, the regular public school system in the US (state-funded) has many problems as well. When I see those in government sending their children to expensive private schools, I can't help but wonder if they might be more interested in improving the school system if their children were in it.

Yes, I agree, Jean. Conservative polticians send their children to private schools but Labour politicians in this country tend to send their children to state schools but still, some don't. We have an excellent state system but it has become a political football and it is being gradually starved of money which is making it harder and harder to keep standards.Resources are being rationed, special needs teaching is being cut back and class sizes are rising because of fewer teachers.This is not necessarily because of a shortage of teachers but because new teachers don't stay. The draconian pressures put on teachers does not give a teacher a life.Grammar Schools are a selective element within the state system. The more academic children are creamed off into these schools. This government wants to increase the number of grammars. This splits society and continues inequalities. The Comprehensive system, devised in the late 1950s is the best I think. When it works well, with happy teachers, good funding and teaching that covers all abilities, it is an excellent system. It creates equality while providing for the individual. The Conservatives have never gone along with that concept. There are some outstanding Comprehensive schools around the country. Why this government can't just go with that model defeats me!!